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Updated: May 22, 2025

Orthotopic Liver Transplantation in Rats
Published on: July 1, 2012
A Rare Case of Piggyback Syndrome Following Orthotopic Liver Transplant
Kelvin Liao1, Kevin Kim, Chandra Bhati
1From the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Piggyback syndrome is a rare complication of orthotopic liver transplant performed via the piggyback technique. Where conventional orthotopic liver transplant involves anastomosis of both the donor and recipient inferior vena cava, piggyback orthotopic liver transplant instead involves anastomosis between the donor inferior vena cava and recipient hepatic veins. Piggyback syndrome is hepatic vein outflow obstruction as a result of anastomotic stenosis after piggyback orthotopic liver transplant. We present a case of piggyback syndrome successfully treated with percutaneous stenting and balloon angioplasty and discuss the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this syndrome.

